Ask the Experts Interview Archives

Stephan Christgau

18 March 202519 January 2025 by Sejelas

You have an extensive background in both academia and the biotech industry, with over 60 peer-reviewed papers and multiple patents. How has your experience as a researcher shaped your approach as a life sciences investor and entrepreneur?

I think it gives a different perspective as an investor, when you have actually had operational experience. Having started companies and worked with f.ex. patent strategy, development plans and CRO selection and monitoring is not only something I hear about in the board room, but something I have actually done myself.

That said, one should of course also be humble and recognize that one’s own experience is only directly relevant in few cases, and of course we engage experts and other stakeholders in all cases, but it is nevertheless a different perspective one gets from having started and run companies.

The scientific background, and ability to grasp and challenge scientific backgrounds of projects and companies, is essential for an investor in the life science space, and indeed I believe most of my peers in other venture funds have scientific and/or clinical backgrounds.

Casper Breum

12 September 202411 September 2024 by Sejelas

Tell us about your background.

I am an organic chemist who has worked in many different fields within pharma and biotech. I have worked at Novo Nordisk, H. Lundbeck and at a Danish CRO working in different areas and roles such as QA, R&D Chemistry, Project Management, Sourcing and Corporate Business Development and Strategy. Before I started my venture trajectory, I was CEO of a venture-backed diagnostic company. My time in venture capital started in 2009 at Lundbeckfonden Ventures when the Lundbeck Foundation decided to establish a VC entity.

Bo Rode Hansen

28 August 2024 by Sejelas

Tell us more about your background. Throughout my career, I have focused and been involved in creating, driving and transacting on innovation in medicine. I have led innovation and drug discovery with different technologies including RNA therapeutics, genetic medicines, drug delivery, informatics, biologics and small molecules. During your tenure as President & CEO at Scandion Oncology and Genevant Sciences, what were some of the most innovative projects you spearheaded, and what impact did they have on the company’s direction? As President & CEO at Scandion Oncology, I led the strategic transformation and growth of the company, raising 300 million SEK and listing the company on Nasdaq First North in Stockholm. This allowed Scandion to continue the development in Phase 2 and build the team. We focused on strategically positioning an inhibitor of an efflux pump in cancer cells as innovative projects designed to overcome cancer drug resistance – mainly in colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer. The medical need in cancer for innovative projects is huge and resistance to existing therapies is the leading cause of the almost innumerable 10 million casualties to cancer every year.

Jordan Guyon

31 July 2024 by Sejelas

What is your background?
I hold a PharmD and a dual degree from EM Lyon Business School, with a major in Entrepreneurship.

What/who inspired you to go into the life sciences? Has there been someone instrumental throughout your journey?
I discovered biology at a young age through scientific reviews for children. I remember being immediately fascinated by its complexity and the harmony of how everything worked together in living systems. As I grew older, I encountered health issues within my circle of family and friends, which left me with a profound sense of injustice. Why was this happening? Why couldn’t we find cures? This experience sparked my desire to work in the field of medicine. The final piece of the puzzle came from my high school chemistry teacher, whose passion for the subject inspired me. This is how I came to see the pharmaceutical field as the perfect blend for me of biology, medicine, and molecular development.

Zoë Johnson

10 July 2024 by Sejelas

Tell us more about your background and your current role at M:M Bio. I like taking on new challenges and uncertainty does not scare me, these two qualities have led me to make career moves that have taken me from a graduate-level bench scientist in the biotech industry at Celltech – a fantastic training ground that led to my PhD studies, to running research departments in pharma and biotech, joining a clinical team to learn how to position a program for eventual marketing approval, and then a pivot to C-suite positions at start-up companies.

Christian Rutzer

3 July 2024 by Sejelas

Tell us more about your work at CIEB. The CIEB — which stands for Center for International Economics and Business — is a research center within the Faculty of Economics at the University of Basel dedicated to the analysis of the Swiss economy, with a particular focus on structural change, innovation and digital transformation. Our work bridges the gap between basic research and applied analysis.

One of our focuses is the study of innovation in the life sciences, recognizing its significant economic impact on the Basel region and Switzerland as a whole. What distinguishes us from many think tanks and economic consulting groups is our independence due to our affiliation with the university.

Andreas Wüpper

19 June 2024 by Sejelas

Tell us about yourself. My current role is that of a Managing Director of Fresenius Medical Care Ventures GmbH. I have been part of the Ventures team since it was established in 2016. My role has developed over the past 8 years, but I am still involved in the daily routines from opportunity sourcing, due diligence, preparing the requests for approval by our Investment Committee, deal execution and management of portfolio companies.

Mads Stoustrup

12 June 2024 by Sejelas

If you had to describe yourself with one word, what would you choose? Resilient. What is your background? I hold an MSc in Economics from the University of Copenhagen, supplemented by executive education courses at Harvard Business School, INSEAD, IMD, and Kellogg Business School. With over 20 years of experience in the life sciences industry, I’ve held various commercial leadership roles. My career has been driven by a passion for business growth, patient care, commercialization, and the intersection of technology, people, and business.

Joshi Venugopal

22 May 2024 by Sejelas

If you must describe yourself in one word, what would that be? Breadth – I have consciously pursued broad experiences over narrow specialization. I love to connect the dots to create value and feel that innovations happen at the intersection of disciplines. I trained as a cell biology scientist, worked in research, development, and commercial organizations at Novartis. Leading extensive teams across three continents has been part of my journey. Variety, as they say, is the spice of life, and Novartis has consistently provided me with opportunities to explore new horizons.

Tord Labuda

1 November 2023 by Sejelas